Obama Honors SEALs

Obama Honors SEALs, President Obama today honored the Special Forces team that caused the death of Osama bin Laden, the award of the members of the Presidential Unit citation during a private ceremony at Fort Campbell, Kentucky
“Americans deserve credit for a major military and intelligence operations in the history of our nation,” Obama said later the troops stationed at the Army base. “But so does everyone who wears the uniform of the United States, the best army the world has ever known.”
Obama said the visit with the Special Forces gave him the opportunity to deliver a simple message but gratitude of the nation and the world. “Job well done” The president also called this “a historic week in the life of our nation. ”
In the private meeting that preceded the speech to the troops, Obama and Biden were briefed on the operation of weekend that made objective bin once a secret Laden in Pakistan, according to a White House statement.
Biden also addressed the troops, who described the honorees as “the assailants that bin Laden”, but include members of the Navy SEALS and other special operations personnel.
In the presidential speech, Obama told the troops that the death of Bin Laden is not the end of the war on terror. He also repeated his promise to begin withdrawing troops from Afghanistan in July, amid signs that can accelerate the pace of withdrawal following the death of Bin Laden.
This successful mission “reconfirms that we can focus on Al Qaeda, focusing on threats to our homeland, the train Afghans in a way that allows them to stabilize their country,” Obama told CBS 60 Minutes in an interview to be broadcast Sunday.
“But, he added,” we need not have a life-sized footprint we have now. ”

Presidential Unit Citation is the highest honor in such a way that can be awarded to the classes of units participating in the bin-laden mission.

The administration will not release the names of team members of bin Laden, citing the secretive nature of their work and the threat of reprisals from the jihadists.

Obama said: They are quiet professionals of the United States, because success requires secrecy, but I will say this. Like all of you who could have chosen an easy life, but like you, voluntarily. They chose to serve in wartime, knowing they could be sent to harm’s way.

They trained for years. They are brave. There is no bad break for this mission. And when I gave the order, they were ready and in recent days, everyone has learned how prepared you were.

Before the speech, White House spokesman Jay Carney Obama visited Fort Campbell to the point that “while the success of the mission against Osama bin Laden was a unique historical event, not by any means mean that we have finished the war against Al-Qaeda. The struggle continues. ”

What this means in terms of a U.S. presence in Afghanistan – and in neighboring Pakistan, where Bin Laden was captured and killed – will be determined in the coming months.

Obama has said and repeated in 60 minutes, starting a process of retirement in July, questions are only numbers and rhythm.

An exchange interview published by the folks at 60 Minutes:

Steve Kroft: There are people in Congress, influential people now on both sides of the aisle, they were saying that this is an opportunity to reduce our commitment to Afghanistan and start – and accelerate our withdrawals.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well – keep in mind, I already made a commitment that from July this year, we are running out of troops. And we are in transition; we are training Afghan forces so they can begin securing their own country.

And so – what has happened on Sunday, I think, again confirms that we can focus on Al Qaeda, focusing on threats to our homeland, the train Afghans in a way that allows them to stabilize their country. But it is not necessary to have a life-sized footprint we have now.